I'm sorry the picture is so dark, but I wanted to show Rondo at a really nice event we attended last night- the wonderful women from the GreaterProvidence/Northern RI Women's Realtor's Association were generous enough to designate the Friends of Homeless Animals as the beneficiary of their annual fundraiser, a casino night at the Dueling Pianos bar in Providence. Rondo was one of the featured dogs in attendance and had such a nice time! He met so, so many people and was calm, gentle and friendly with absolutely everyone.

One of the other dogs in attendance was Ginger, a Boston Terrier girl who is often less than friendly towards other dogs, but she had no issues at all with Rondo- he has a submissive temprament with other dogs and I think she sensed that he was no threat to her at all. He returns to the vet on Monday, and I am so hoping his xray shows more improvement in his lung congestion!

We brought Rondo to the local animal coalition's Christmas bazaar today for pictures with Santa- I don't have any pics of the event because I had my hands full with 3 dogs, but I can tell you that Rondo had a great time and made lots of friends. After my dog Pixie peed on the blanket of the massage therapist doing canine massage, I was so embarrassed that I treated Rondo to a 5 minute professional massage- he was in heaven! His eyes were closed and he was practically purring....and she showed me some easy techniques to relax Rondo, and help expand his muscles. 

I'm embarrassed too to tell you that Rondo hasn't had a nail trim since he's been with me- even with my husband helping, he's too squirmy for us to do his nails. He doesn't nip, but squeals like he's being set on fire and disemboweled at the same time and manages to wiggle away. Dr Lord, the wonderful vet from the Mass. Mobile Vet Clinic was at the bazaar and was kind enough to trim Rondo's nails, which were talons by now, for free. He also examined Rondo and reaffirmed what my vet had told me- that treating pneumonia in dogs usually takes at least 2 months, sometimes longer. He had a good suggestion that we consider adding a medication called Mirtazipine to stimulate Rondo's appetite. It's a med I'm pretty familiar with- an anti depressant called Remeron which I use alot at work. It's not greatly effective anti depressant so it's usually used in combination with other meds, but I can tell you that my patients on Remeron certainly tend to gain weight. I'm going to ask Rondo's vet about adding it to his regime at least as a trial.

Rondo's now doing what he does best- chillin' with his pals Pixie and Salty Dog, a long way from the streets!

Rondo came with us yesterday to my mother's home for Thanksgiving- he jumped up and cuddled right next to her, and was so gentle. I was disappointed though that he didn't eat a bite on his own all day, and had to have AD dog food, a high calorie prescription dog food, placed in his mouth to give him nutrition. We've started him on Pepcid in case his antibiotics are upsetting his stomach, but his appetite really hasn't improved- in fact, it may be a little worse. It's hard to be sick! He gets short of breath and coughs with even minor activity....but I'm in it for the long haul with Rondo, and he'll stay until he's better. His next xray is due on 12/3 and I am so hoping to see continued improvement!

What a roller coaster of a day! We received an email this morning from a lovely woman whose Bichon, Robby, went missing in Providence two years ago- Rondo looked so much like her baby that she thought she maybe have found her Robby! She came to meet him, and I'm sorry to say that Rondo was clearly not her dog- his legs are shorter, and Rondo did not have some of the markings that Robby had. I was disappointed too because she was such a nice person, and would be a good mama for any lucky dog. 

I will tell you too that she had brought her adorable 2YO daughter with her, and Rondo was an angel- so sweet and gentle. My two dogs were just awful, embarrassed me by acting like heathens, and had to be put outside because they wouldn't stop jumping on the guests. I wanted to talk her into taking mine! Rondo's behavior around others is definitely a strength of his. He has gotten along just fine with everyone he meets, without a bit of aggression or rambunctious behavior. I made him a plate of shaved steak and he ate several mouthfuls, which I was happy about. He deserves steak!

Rondo's new favorite place to hang out is on the bed- he'll go upstairs, stand at the foot of the bed and whine until I put him up! The positive to this is that it's more evidence that his separation anxiety has really improved- when he first came here he would whine, cry and pace around whenever he was more than a few feet away- now, he's able to tolerate being alone without being frightened. He's feeling more secure, especially when he's with my dogs. I've been trying to take him for at least a short ride every day also, as this is pretty much his very favorite activity. He so excited when he sees his leash, wagging his whole body and dancing. I love it! 

His coughing is much better, his breathing is less labored, but his appetite remains a real challenge. He was pretty consistently eating ground beef in good sized portions for almost a week, but has now decided that he doesn't like beef either. He's eating some dark meat chicken and bits of oatmeal cookie, but not enough to keep his weight up.  I'm back to the baby food, AD dog food, cream cheese or nutrical placed on his tongue several times a day. It's much more stressful to have a dog that won't eat than one that will gobble absolutely anything! My own dogs are absolute heathens when it comes to food, grabbing anything in their reach- that can be annoying, but I know it's a sign of health. I would absolutely love to see Rondo start begging for food!!!!!

Rondo went to the vet yesterday for his repeat chest X-ray, and I have to say I'm a little disappointed- the X-ray showed, according to the vet, "slight improvement" in his lung congestion- I guess I had hoped she would tell me that there was more than a "slight" improvement. But the wonderful DVM who has been treating him was very, very pleased- and reminded me that treating pneumonia in dogs takes longer than it does with humans, and the fact that he is so much more energetic and frisky is a great sign. She felt very comfortable in spacing out his next xray to 3 weeks from today, continued his antibiotics and ordered a vitamin supplement, because Rondo's diet consists of hamburgers, with the occasional few bites of oatmeal cookie or noodles. Hardly a balanced diet, but I'm thrilled that he's eating!

And he does seems just to be happier overall- he runs to the door to greet me when I get home, and gets so excited to go for a walk or car ride. He goes right to the back door when he needs to go out, regardless of the weather- mine are such babies when it's raining, but Rondo doesn't seem to mind. I love this sweet boy! He will stay with me as long as he needs to, and will be a tough one to say good bye to when he finds his forever home.

I have to say that Rondo is looking better! He's definitely got more energy, is more interactive with my dogs, and much more alert. I haven't given him any subQ fluids in 3 days because he's drinking plenty of water, and he's pretty consistently eating hamburger at least once a day- but he's picky! I've found that he'll eat a diced, grilled burger just fine while it's still warm- but won't eat sautéed ground beef, won't eat it reheated and won't eat it off a plate or out of a bowl- I have to feed him by hand. I'm happy to see him eating voluntarily, but there's no line at my door of folks wanting to adopt a dog that must be hand fed ground beef every day so it's something to work on. But first things first, my priority now is restoring Rondo to health. I still am concerned about how rapidly he's breathing, and he has a repeat chest X-ray tomorrow. Paws crossed that it shows major improvement!

Rondo has good days and not so good days, and today he's having a pretty good one! He ate some chicken and a few bites of cheese and seems a little more perky. We have a pretty powerful nor'easter going on, with gusty winds and freezing rain, but Rondo is such a trooper- he goes right to the door when he needs to go out and runs right down into the yard to do his business- with his fur blowing in the wind and the rain soaking his little body he does what he needs to and comes right back. My own dogs need to be carried outside when the weather is the bad! I just want Rondo to feel better- I see some hopeful signs in that he's breathing a little slower and deeper, and taking water on his own more consistently. He'll be going for another chest x-ray next week, which will give me a better idea of how he's healing. Until then, we're taking it a day at a time.

Rondo continues to look a little perkier! He jumped up on the couch for the first time since he became ill, and is eating and drinking a little bit more. I'm finding that he consistently won't eat a bite till evening but then will eat most of a burger or some chicken, and a few bites of ice cream. I'm using a lot lesss nutrical but still supplement a bit to make sure he doesn't lose any weight. He needs to gain a few lbs anyway, and if he becomes too frail his chance of survival will be less.
Rondo is such a trooper! He's so sweet and gentle, and lets me do whatever I need to. He seems to understand that I'm helping him!